


Sick Date

by doctorbuffypotterlock79



Category: RuPaul's Drag Race RPF
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Lesbian AU, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-16
Updated: 2019-05-16
Packaged: 2020-03-06 08:42:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18847549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doctorbuffypotterlock79/pseuds/doctorbuffypotterlock79
Summary: Lesbian AU! Brooke is sick but doesn’t want to cancel her date with Vanessa. Vanessa finds out anyway and ends up taking care of her.





	Sick Date

**Author's Note:**

> I really needed a Branjie sickfic and decided to write this. Comments and feedback always welcome! Also thank you artificialniamh for beta-ing this!

Brooke spends nearly an hour piling on makeup, hoping to mask the fact that she looks like a zombie. She’d been up most of the night, tossing and turning and freezing and sweating. Though she won’t admit it to herself, she has a sinking feeling this week’s cold turned into something more. 

There was no way she was letting this sickness take away her second date with Vanessa. There was no way she was cancelling on their second date, period. What kind of bitch does that? Brooke had spent the whole week with this date serving as her motivation to make it through. Each day just brought her one day closer to seeing Vanessa and Brooke didn’t even think the apocalypse could make her cancel. Besides, she didn’t get sick. This was just a little cold. She’d taken some cold meds that morning and figured that would be enough for her.  
  
She rushes out the door to pick up Vanessa. It’s not until she’s more than halfway there that she realizes she forgot to take her second dose of cold meds. _Oh well_ , she thinks. _I’m fine, it’s not like I need them_. 

Brooke’s exhausted from the 15-minute drive, struggling to keep her head up and fighting against her eyes that just want to drift shut. Her head had ached dully all day and the ache has now turned into a pounding pain. There is sweat beading on the back of her neck but she can’t stop shivering, even in her leather jacket. Still, she only thinks about Vanessa. Despite all her aches, she would see Vanessa soon and that’s enough to get out of the car and up to the apartment.

Brooke’s hands are shaking but she doesn’t know if it’s sickness or her nerves over seeing Vanessa. She knocks eagerly, hoping she doesn’t look as horrible as she feels. 

Vanessa opens the door and the concerned look on her face makes Brooke think her makeup didn’t do as good a job masking her illness as she thought it did. 

After exchanging hello’s, Vanessa leads her into the apartment and all but shoves Brooke into a chair in the living room. “You look like you need to sit down. You feeling okay?” Brooke sees that she’s worrying and she doesn’t want her to. She certainly doesn’t want to cancel tonight. 

“Oh, I’m fine. Just a little tired,” Brooke hopes the lie is convincing, but a cocked eyebrow and pointed stare from Vanessa let her know it definitely is not. She’d never been a good liar. 

“Well, I have a cold,” Brooke admits. “But it’s nothing. I’m totally fine.”

“You’re sure? We don’t have to go out if you’re sick,” Vanessa offers. A sudden wave of dizziness comes over Brooke, so fierce she almost takes Vanessa up on the offer to call tonight off. She fights off the dizziness and focuses on Vanessa. She really likes Vanessa, maybe even loves her already, and has been looking forward to this all week. It was only their second date. What if they cancelled tonight and Vanessa forgot all about her? _Alright_ , Brooke decides. _We’re doing this_. 

“No, no, I still want to go! I’m fine! I’m not even that sick,” Brooke leaps from the chair to triumphantly show Vanessa just how fine she is, only to suck in a breath as the room spins so fast it’s like she just got off a roller coaster. She feels her knees buckle on her and that’s the last thing she remembers. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Brooke opens her eyes to Vanessa’s concerned face hovering nearby. 

“Thank God. You almost gave me a heart attack!” 

Brooke’s head is foggy and it takes her a few seconds to realize that she’s on Vanessa’s couch, a soft pillow beneath her head. There’s a thermometer, a bowl, and a washcloth on the coffee table. “W-what happened?” she manages.

“You fainted on me, bitch! I thought you were dead! I was wondering how the hell I was gonna explain the dead body in my apartment to the cops!” 

“Sorry,” Brooke mumbles, trying and failing to hold back a wince as Vanessa’s loud voice hits her throbbing head. “I didn't think I was this sick. I didn’t mean to faint on you.”

Vanessa’s face softens instantly and she lowers her voice as she responds. “Well of course you didn’t, baby. It’s nothing to apologize for. You just scared me is all.” 

Brooke feels a sudden warmth spreading in her cheeks. Not only did Vanessa call her _baby_ , but she had also dialed down her energetic voice and personality so Brooke would be more comfortable, and the sweetness of the gesture, especially when Vanessa is so naturally exuberant, almost makes her tear up. 

Vanessa reaches for the washcloth on the table and places it on Brooke’s forehead. It’s icy cold and Brooke melts into it. “You got me feeling like a nurse over here,” Vanessa laughs. “I took your temperature and everything. By the way, it’s 102.4, Miss I’m-Not-Even-That-Sick.” 

_Shit_. Brooke had purposely refused to take her own temperature, not wanting to see the proof of how sick she was, not wanting to see a number so high that it would justify cancelling the date. 

Vanessa resumes her nurse mode. “You think you could take some Tylenol? You definitely need it.”

“Probably,” she says as Vanessa heads to the bathroom. 

She returns with two pills and a glass of water, which Brooke takes gratefully, hoping for any relief from her pounding head and aching body. 

“How’d I get here, by the way?” she asks, handing the glass back to Vanessa and patting the couch. 

“I kinda dragged you over here. You’re way too tall for my tiny ass to carry and this was closer than my room,” she shrugs apologetically. 

Brooke’s about to apologize for making Vanessa drag her giant self onto the couch when the brunette claps her hands and starts talking. 

“Ooh, want some ice cream?” Vanessa asks excitedly. “Since we’re here, we might as well put on Netflix and have a little date. I got chocolate chip cookie dough!” she adds, hoping to tempt Brooke.

Brooke’s not sure if ice cream is the best thing for her right now, but she _is_ hungry. She hadn’t eaten all day, the anxiety and sickness mixing together and leaving her unable to stomach anything. She finds herself nodding and smiling, only to have the smile fade as she realizes that she’s ruined everything. 

Guilt washes over Brooke as she takes in everything she made Vanessa do for her. Getting her on the couch, taking her temperature, watching over her. All because Brooke just couldn’t admit that she was sick, couldn't admit that there was something wrong with her. 

Her eyes begin to tear up as she thinks of how the date is ruined because of her, and how Vanessa probably wants nothing to do with her after she passed out in her apartment and forced her to be a nurse. 

“I’m sorry,” Brooke says quietly, once Vanessa returns with bowls and spoons. 

“You like to apologize, don’t you?” Vanessa asks, gently teasing. “What for, though?”

“For...all of this. For ruining our date and making you take care of me. For disappointing you,” Brooke explains. 

“Hold up, hold up. You didn’t ruin anything! Girl, we got Netflix and ice cream and cuddles going on tonight. This is one of the best dates I’ve ever been on. Taking care of you isn’t a problem, baby. I kinda like it, actually. And I don’t think you could ever disappoint me, just so you know,” Vanessa says as she passes Brooke a spoon and a bowl and settles next to her on the couch. 

“Really?” Brooke asks, accepting the spoon and the bowl of ice cream. She takes the washcloth off her forehead and sits up.

“Really,” she says firmly. “Brooke, I like you. A lot. Even when you’re sick and a little gross-looking, you’re still beautiful and kind and I wanna be with you.”

“Thank you. I-I didn’t want to admit I was sick because I really wanted to see you tonight. I didn't want to be a bitch and cancel. I also don’t really like to admit I’m sick in general. It’s...it’s kind of hard for me to ask for help,” Brooke confesses. She was so used to being independent and taking care of herself that she never really needed anyone’s help. It was still hard for her to ask other people for something.

Vanessa reaches over and grabs her hand. “First of all, don’t put a date over your health. I do think it’s sweet that you wanted to see me so badly, but take care of yourself first, girl! I’m not dragging your ass across the living room again. You can ask me for help anytime. There’s no shame in it.” 

Brooke doesn’t really have the words in her to respond to Vanessa’s love, but she squeezes the other woman’s hand and hopes it’s enough. Brooke smiles and Vanessa smiles back. They spend the rest of the night eating ice cream and watching movies they can barely hear over their laughter. As far as second dates go, it’s a pretty great one.


End file.
